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PLATE 1. To Accompany 

A ROMAN ALPHABET AND HOW TO USE IT. 

Copyright 1917, by Frank Forrest Frederick, 
School of Industrial Arts, Trenton, N. J. 




PLATE 2. To Accompany 

A ROMAN ALPHABET AND HOW TO USE IT. 

Copyright 1917, by Prank Forrest Frederick, 
School of Industrial Arts, Trenton, N. J. 




PLATE 3. To Accompany 

A ROMAN ALPHABET AND HOW TO USE IT. 

Copyright 1917, by Frank Forrest Frederick, 
School of Industrial Arts, Trenton, N. J. 



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PLATE 4. To Accompany 

A ROMAN ALPHABET AND HOW TO USE IT. 

Copyright 1917, by Frank Forrest Frederick, 
School of Industrial Arts, Trenton, N. J. 







PLATE 5. To Accompany 

A ROMAN ALPHABET AND HOW TO USE IT. 
Copyright 1917, by Frank Forrest Frederick, 
School of Industrial Arts, Trenton, N. J. 




A ROMAN ALPHABET 
AND HOW TO USE IT 

A conventional Roman alphabet with full directions 

for its use in the lettering problems required in 

public, normal, art, and technical schools, and 

for the lettering problems which arise in 

the practice of architects, commercial 

illustrators, show-card writers, 

and sign painters 

by 

FRANK FORREST FREDERICK 

Director of the School of Industrial Arts 
Trenton, New Jersey 

Author of 

Plaster Casts and How They are Made, A Wash Method of Handling 
Water Color, Simplified Mechanical Perspective, Archi- 
tectural Rendering in Sepia, etc. 



Published by '•' 

Frank Forrest Frederick 
Trenton, New Jersey. 
1917. 



Copyright, 191 7, 

by 

Frank Forrest Frederick, 



printed by the 
Smith Press, 
trentcw, n. j. 

©CI.A467709 



JUL 10 1917 



T37I 



:i 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

DEDICATION 4 

WHY STUDY LETTERING 5 

THIS ALPHABET 7 

HOW TO DRAW THE LETTERS 13 

LETTER COMPOSITION 14 

COMPOSING WITH LETTERS 16 

VARIATIONS OF THE ALPHABET 22 

LETTERING WITHOUT UNITS OF SPACE 25 

EVOLUTION OF ORIGINALITY IN LETTERING 26 

BOOKS RECOMMENDED 2j 

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THIS METHOD 

OF LETTERING 28 



DEDICATION 



This Roman alphabet and its appHcation to lettering 
problems was worked out originally to help me do 
better lettering. It was then passed on to the students 
in the School of Industrial Arts. As they have used 
it successfully, it has been put into this form to make 
it available to other students. 

Accordingly, "A ROMAN ALPHABET AND 
HOW TO USE IT" is dedicated to students of the 
art of lettering in the hope that it will make their work 
more interesting and therefore better. 

To those who assisted in the execution of the draw- 
ings, and especially to Mr. Carroll W. Stead and Mr. 
Alvah G. Clark, my thanks are extended. 

Frank Forrest Frederick. 

Trenton, New Jersey, 
June 28, 191 7. 



A ROMAN ALPHABET 
AND HOW TO USE IT 

WHY STUDY LETTERING 

There is a world of difference between a Roman alphabet and the 
Roman alphabet. To study a Roman alphabet is an entirely different 
matter from studying" the Roman alphabet. 

Concerning the Roman alphabet many excellent and profusely illus- 
trated books have been published, but, concerning a Roman alphabet and 
how to use it, nothing has heretofore been published. The many works 
on lettering are all useful, and all contain valuable information, but no- 
where, except in this book, is the student told just how to use one alpha- 
bet, and it is this information which the student needs, and must have, 
before he can make right use of the material to be found in the books. 

No one can draw a house with its horizontal, vertical and oblique lines, 
and its distracting windows, doors, etc., who cannot draw a square and 
a triangular prism. Similarly no one can draw and properly use the 
Roman alphabet, so subtle, and never used twice alike, who cannot 
draw and properly use a conventional Roman alphabet. 

It is as true of lettering, as of everything else, that the simple and 
easily used must be mastered first, before anything requiring great skill 
and knowledge can be attempted with any hope of success. 

There are letter artists — persons gifted with the feeling for graceful 
and appropriate letters, and w^ith the ability to execute them beautifully — 
as there are landscape and portrait artists. Great letterers are *'born and 
not made," yet the art can be learned by anyone who goes about it in 
the right way, and it is a fascinating study because progress can be made 
rapidly and the results put to immediate use. 

The art is one of the oldest and one of the most used. Lettering is 
used for a multitude of purposes — for book covers, posters, advertise- 
ments, for show-cards and for signs, and on all machine and architectural 
drawings. Every letter appearing upon the printed page was sometime 
designed by somebody. 

There is nothing that the designer or the draftsman needs more than 
the ability to letter well, and yet, the art of lettering is an abused art. 
Many an otherwise excellent design is marred by poor lettering and all 
draftsmen agree that poor lettering will spoil any drawing. 




■■■ 



No. 1, See page 9. 



Most students think that lettering (not "printing," for that is done 
upon a printing press) is a simple matter that can be done offhand in a 
hurry. They will often spend hours of painstaking labor upon a draw- 
ing and then add the lettering as a hurried after-thought, and resent the 
suggestion that the use of the T-square, the triangles, and the dividers 
is necessary to secure good lettering. As a matter of fact, mechanical 
aids are a prime necessity and cannot be dispensed with. Good lettering 
combines mechanical accuracy and artistic freedom in a manner, and to 
a degree, that is unsuspected by those who know nothing about the design 
and execution of what appears spontaneous and easily done. 



■■ 




No. 2. See page 9. 

THIS ALPHABET 

The Roman alphabet, as we now know it, has been evolved from the 
practice of many centuries. There is no one alphabet that is the standard 
for all purposes. Lettering is an art, and, like other works of art, no 
two examples will be, or should be, the same. Conditions of space, po- 
sition, surroundings, proportion, use, and the individuality of the drafts- 
man, — all influence every problem of lettering. Herein lies the charm 
of lettering. 

Just as in the use of language there are certain rules of grammar, 
evolved through the ages, which must be observed, regardless of how 
they are used, so, in using the Roman alphabet, there are certain rules 







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which must be observed if the sensitive and trained eye is not to be 
offended. 

How the Roman alphabet has developed, the many books on the sub- 
ject describe in full, and its consideration has no place here. but. from 
the practice of two thousand years, we hnd that the most pleasing and 
satisfactor}-, and therefore the right, use of lines in drawing the letters 
require : 

1. That all horizontal lines be light lines. 

2. That all vertical lines, except one in M and the two in N. be 
hea\w lines. 

3. That all lines slanting downward from left to right be hea^y 
lines. 

4. That all lines slanting upward from left to right, except in Z, be 
light lines. 

5. That all curved lines be light at. or near, the top and bottom and 
hea^y at the sides of the letters. 

Centuries of use of the Roman alphabet by artists have shown that 
certain letters must be drawn wider than others to look right, and that 
several letters change their shapes when used in combination with other 
letters, but no rules can be given to govern the width or the shape of the 
letters. The beginners, however, may well adopt standard widths for 



8 




No. 4. See page 9. 

certain letters and always draw each letter the same way until he is ex- 
perienced enough to vary them intelligently. 

Comparing the Roman alphabets, it is found that, for all practical 
purposes, the twenty-six letters can be divided into six groups of widths 
as follows : 

1. 0^ Q^ G^ C^ H, T, Z, and V can be drawn the same width and 
constructed within a square the and Q being circles upon the outside 
and ellipses upon the inside (Cut No. i). 

2. D, L, R^ U, Y, E, N, and F can be drawn the same width, an 
eighth narrower than the first group (Cut No. 2). 

3. A^ M^ K, and X can be drawn about the same width, an eighth 
wider than the first group (Cut No. 3). 

4. P, B, S^ and J can be drawn the same width, three-quarters the 
width of the first group (Cut No. 4). 

5. W can be drawn half as wide again as the first group (Cut No. 4). 

6. I can be drawn about one- fourth the width of the first group 
(Cut No. 4). 

In this alphabet, to make the drawing of the letters easier, they are 
constructed upon squares which may be called units of space bounded 
by unit lines. Wherever possible, straight lines are made to follow unit 
lines, or be half-way between them, or cross them at their intersections, 



No. 5. See page 11. 



1+I+I+8+1+I-+-1 =14- 

YEAR BOOK 

7+7-H9 + 7 + 6 + 8+8+9 = 61 

75 
No. 6. See pages 11 and 25. 




No. 7. See pages 12, 20 and 26. 



lO 



and curves are drawn tangent to unit lines. This is done in the interests 
of simpHcity, and because the beginner is insensible to the niceties of 
proportion found in the Roman alphabet and needs all the help he can 
get when drawing the letters. 

The height of the letters is taken as eight units. The first group is 
drawn eight units wide ; the second, seven units ; the third, nine units ; 
the fourth, six units ; the fifth, twelve units, and the sixth, three units. 

The thin lines are one-half unit wide ; the thick lines, one and one- 
half units, and the curves, one and one-half units at the widest, tapering 
to one-half unit at the narrowest part. 

Reducing the letters to a system in this manner makes their con- 
struction easier and gives an alphabet which may be safely used for any 
purpose if a better cannot be used with skill and intelligence. The stu- 
dent cannot go far wrong if this method of letter construction is followed. 

The student should commit this alphabet to memory. This can best 
be done by drawing the letters, entirely free-hand, upon ruled units. A 
convenient size unit is one-fourth inch because it gives a letter large 
enough to show clearly errors in drawing. Paper ruled in squares, to 
be obtained at the stationers, is useful for the beginner as erasures do 
not erase the unit lines. 

In committing the alphabet to memory, it is advisable to take two 
or three letters at a time and draw them upon large and small units 
until they are so thoroughly known that they will never be forgotten. 
In schools this should be required, and the students not permitted to 
do any lettering until the twenty-six letters can be drawn from memory. 
This will be time well expended. It does not take long, and will save 
much time in the end, and will, as the student progresses, lead to more 
freedom in drawing and composing the letters. If the student has to 
refer continually to his copy he will instinctively alv/ays copy, and this 
is exactly what he should not do. 

In Cut No. 5, are the numerals designed to be in keeping with this 
alphabet. These should also be committed to memory. 

Adopting a unit of space for an example of lettering (it may be any 
size, a sixteenth of an inch or several inches), if the proper number of 
units is allowed each letter, any combination of letters can be worked out. 

Take, for example, the words YEAR BOOK. In lettering these 
words, it is necessary to know how many units are needed for the let- 
ters, how many for the spaces between the letters, and how many be- 
tween the words. Before beginning any problem in lettering, it is well 
to make a free-hand sketch. Cut No. 6, and on it indicate the number of 
units required. For YEAR BOOK, it is found that 75 units are re- 
quired. If the units are drawn one-eighth inch square, the words will 
require a space 9%" wide; if one-fourth inch square, 18^'' wide. 

II 



If the width of the area the letters must occupy was settled in ad- 
vance, the problem becomes more complicated. Formerly, it was a 
difficult matter to make a given number of letters fit a given space. It 
took much time to experiment to find how wide the letters must be and 
how far apart spaced, that the last letter end where it should. 

The base line for lettering, or the top line, if more convenient, can 
be readily divided into a required number of equal spaces by applying 
the method illustrated in Fig. i. Cut No. 7. Line A— B is the base line 
for lettering, requiring, for example, 46 units. Draw verticals through 
A and through B, and place the ruler on the verticals so that there will 
be 46 equal spaces between them — in this case, 46 eighths. Mark off 
from the ruler the spaces and draw verticals to the base line which will 
be divided into 46 equal spaces which govern the size of the units. To 
do this on long lines, to decide whether the equal spaces on the ruler 
shall be eighths or sixteenths, and how many for each space, will some- 
times require considerable mathematical calculation, but this will do the 
student no real harm. 

When the vertical distance between the base and the top lines is to 
be divided into eight equal spaces, as C— D and E— F, Fig. 2, Cut No. 7, 
the same method may be employed. 

If the base line to be divided is too long for the ruler, a yardstick 
may be used. As these are likely to move, and as they are generally 
too thick to allow spaces to be set off from them accurately, a line the 
required length should be drawn, using the stick, from vertical to vertical, 
and on this line, from the ruler, the spaces set off accurately. In a school 
where serious instruction in lettering is given, a good exercise for the 
woodworking class, if there is one, is to make for the use of the lettering 
class a ruler three feet long with a beveled edge divided into sixteenths. 

If the lettering is to be very large, as in some problems in sign paint- 
ing, a steel tape, pierced with a couple of holes large enough for a thumb- 
tack to go through, should be used. Pin this to the board, and, as the 
tape is thin, spaces may be set oft from it quite accurately. 

A line can be divided into a number of equal parts more accurately 
than by the method described above, and really in less time than it takes 
to tell about it, as shown in Cut No. 8. Geometry teaches us that lines 




No. 8. See page 12. 
12 



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All unit, construcnon and stetch lines to be in pencil. 

THE 



No. 9. See pages 13 and 21. 



drawn parallel to one side of a triangle divide the other two sides pro- 
portionally. This can be applied in dividing a line into units of space 
for lettering. Suppose line A— B is to be divided into seventeen equal 
parts. Draw A— C, at any angle, above or below A— B as is convenient, 
and on it space off with the bow-dividers seventeen equal spaces. These 
can be of any length. Connect the last point found, C, with B by line 
C— B. Drawing parallels to C— B from the points on A— C to A— B, line 
A— B will be found to be divided into the same number of equal parts as 
were set off on A— C. 

The parallels can be drawn with the triangles, if they are large enough, 
but if the line to be divided is of considerable length it will be found 
advisable, when drawing parallels, to change the position of the paper 
on the board, as shown in Cut No. 23, or to use a swivel-head T-square 
which can be adjusted to the angle required for the parallels. 

HOW TO DRAW THE LETTERS 

In Cut No. 9, are shown the steps to be followed in drawing the let- 
ters. T is eight units wide, H eight units and E seven units. Allowing 
one unit between the letters, we have 25 units for the width of the word. 
With the T-square and triangle, draw in pencil the units of the size 
desired (they were ^" in the original drawing). Upon these units con- 
struct the letters, using every possible mechanical aid that will ensure 
accuracy. After the letters are constructed, outline them with pen and 
ink. The old and reliable Gillott's 303 pen is recommended. Always 
outline the letters entirely freehand, for a combination of freehand and 
mechanical lines is not pleasing. In outlining and in filling-in, always 
work from the inside of the letter to the outside, even if the paper has 
to be turned upside-down, so that the lines can be clearly seen while 
they are being drawn. Irregularities on the inside of letters are later 
covered up while those on the outside remain. After the letters are out- 

13 



lined, erase all unit, construction, and sketch lines, and fill them in with 
a sharply pointed water color brush. The part of the work which shows 
in the finished product is, as so often the case, the simplest part of the 
process. No time is saved in the end by neglecting any of the steps here 



suggested. 



It is less confusing, when drawing units for lettering, not to com- 
plete the units for the spaces if they are more than one unit wide. After 
the horizontal lines are drawn, only the verticals needed to obtain the 
units for the letters are necessary. Cut No. lo. 



No. 10. See page 14. 

There is no reason, if there is more than one of the hard-to-draw 
letters, or numerals (see 3 and o in Cut No. 24), of the same size, why, 
after one drawing is obtained, it should not be traced and trasf erred to 
where it again occurs in the problem. 

Too much stress cannot be laid upon the necessity of relying con- 
stantly upon the assistance of the T-square, the triangles and the bow- 
dividers. A large drawing board is always preferable to a small one. 

LETTER COMPOSITION 

The combination of letters into words and the combination of words 
into pleasing compositions is design, and it is very important that all 
lettering be well designed. To understand this, it is only necessary to 
look over "Lettering in Ornament", by L. F. Day, or any standard work 
on the subject, to realize the part lettering has played in the art of the 
past, or to look over modern posters and commercial illustration in gen- 
eral, including show-card writing and sign painting, to realize the part it 
plays in modern art. Lettering offers a wide field for the designer. 

Fortunately there is no rule governing the composition of lettering 
except that it be right for its purpose and look right. Lettering should 
be evenly spaced or spotted over the surface. It should not appear 
crowded in some places and too open in other places. There should be 
no ''holes" of space which call for filling. If looked at through half- 
closed eyes, or at a distance, or up-side-down, it should be of an even 
tone throughout. Letters should be so spaced that words do not appear 
to be divided in the wrong places (the back of many a word is broken 
over the letter A), and all this is accomplished by keeping the same area 

14 



■■■i 



■■ll 

No. 11. See page 15. 

of space between each letter — not the same shape of space, for that is 
impossible — and by having the spaces between the words and the lines 
of words so distributed that they do not appear to break-up the com- 
position noticeably. 

One rule may be given, which applies to letters when placed near 
together, and this is that letters which can over-hang other letters should 
either actually do so or be placed nearer together than the other letters 
in the word. This is illustrated in Cut No. ii. It will be seen that 
in the word TOWN, T overhangs one unit and W overhangs one 
unit, so that, when laying out the units of space for the word, six units 
must be allowed for in the base line instead of eight. In COAT, 
overhangs A one unit and T overhangs A two units, leaving six units 
on the base line for A. In WAVE, W overhangs A two units as does 
V, so that but five units are allowed for A on the base line. 

When the author's name was lettered for the cover, the letters were 
first arranged, as will be explained later, to study the composition. It 
was seen that each letter could be separated by one unit of space, except 
in the case of R and A in the first word, and F and in the second. It 




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No. 12. See page 16. 

is always allowable for serifs to meet or touch other letters if there is 
good reason for so doing. 

The beginner should not attempt the close combination of letters un- 
til he can handle them successfully when spaced some distance apart. 

COMPOSING WITH LETTERS 

The best way to do anything is to find out exactly what it is and to 
go ahead and do it. Too many go ahead before they know just what 
they are to do. This may show courage and industry, but not wisdom. 
This applies to the composition of letters. 

There are tAvo ways to compose letters. One way is to begin draw- 
ing them at once, erasing if they do not compose properly, and drawing 
again and again until finally they do compose properly. This takes much 
time, and the final result is generally not what was expected. The other 
way is actually to arrange the letters — to compose with them, somewhat 
as a printer does with his tA'pe — and this is the better way for the be- 
ginner for he does not waste time drawing or draw at all until he knows 
just what he is to draw. 

Accompanying this book are several alphabets. Cut apart the rows 
of letters and then cut the letters apart as shown in Cut Xo. 12. Cut 
on the enclosing unit lines at the sides of the letters, and leave a unit 
space above and below each letter. 

Use these cut-out letters when studying letter composition. Experi- 
ment, arrange, and re-arrange. Find the best composition and then draw 
it. 

An edge of one of the cut-out letters may be used in spacing, as shown 
in Cut Xo. 12. 

In Cut X'o. 13. three of the unmberless possible arrangements of the 
five words selected are shown. The fi.rst composition might be better 
for some purposes, and the second for others, while an entirely difterent 
composition might be preferable, depending upon the problem in hand. 



16 




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No. 13. See pages 16 and 21. 

The title for the cover of this book was first studied with the cut- 
out letters as shown in Cut No. 14. A diagram of the composition was 
then made (No. 15), which provided all the data needed for the work, 
and, when it was undertaken by the draftsman, not a moment was lost 
for he knew exactly what he was to draw. 



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O 
8 



7 



7 



2 



6 



2 



E 

7 



7 



3 



T 
8 



67tinit5 wirk 42 unite defp. 

No. 15. See pages 17 and 19. 

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No. 16. See page 19. 

It will not often be necessary to use half units of space when com- 
posing letters, but it occasionally is found desirable, as between B and E_, 
and E and T, in ALPHABET (Cut No. 14). When this title was being 
designed, it was seen that the B crowded the E^ and the T appeared too 
far from the E^ if one unit of space was allowed between these letters 
as in the remainder of the word. Therefore, one and one-half units 
were allowed between B and E, and one-half unit between E and T 
(Cut No. 15). 

It is well for the beginner not to use half units until he has exhausted 
all his ingenuity in designing without them, as they make the work some- 
what more complicated. They are never needed in open or extended 
lettering. 

It may be pointed out here that the letter I, though the simplest of 
all, is most often wrongly composed. Generally not enough space is al- 
lowed between it and other letters. When I occurs between two letters 
not based on the circle, the same space should be allowed on both sides. 

The cut-out letters will be found to be most used, not for word com- 
position, as will be explained later, but simply to learn how many units a 
word or words requires. As shown in Cut No. 16, they were most helpful 
in arranging the last two lines so that they would be of exactly the same 
length. The space occupied by i 130-4 130 and 7 :30-9 :30 was first de- 
termined, and then AND and P. M. were so spaced that the lines would 
be of the same length including the period. 

19 




No. 17. See page 20. 

The fact that the composition obtained with the cut-out letters may 
be larger or smaller than the desired lettering presents no difficulties. 
They may be used to study the composition of lettering for rectangles 
of given dimensions by composing them in proportionate rectangles. 

1. When the completed letters are to be larger than the cut-out let- 
ters and in a given rectangle. Draw the rectangle of the given size (Cut 
No. 17). In the lower left corner compose the lettering with the cut-out 
letters in a proportionate rectangle. It will be readily found by apply- 
ing Fig. I, Cut No. 7, how much larger the units must be drawn to make 
the lettering fill the larger rectangle. This particular problem requires 
26 units for the depth and 48 units for the width, and the same compo- 
sition of letters would be secured if the units were made a foot square 
instead of a fraction of an inch upon which the cut-out letters are drawn. 

2. When the completed letters are to be smaller than the cut-out 
letters and in a given rectangle. Draw the rectangle the required size 
(the smaller rectangle in Cut No. 18) and extend a diagonal far enough 
to allow for the drawing of a proportionate rectangle large enough 
for the composition with the cut-out letters. The problem used for illus- 
tration requires a depth of 34 units and a width of 62 units. 

All lettering from which cuts are to be made should be drawn larger 
than the cuts are to be, as it is easier to draw at large scale and better 
results are obtained. When laying out lettering for a cut, first draw a 
rectangle the size the cut is to be, and, upon an extended diagonal, con- 
struct a larger rectangle in which the lettering is drawn and which, as 
it will be of the same proportion, will reduce to the desired size. The 



20 




No. 18. See page 20. 



title for the cover was drawn on one-fourth inch units, 17^" wide; the 
author's name, on one-eighth inch units, 22]/^" wide; Cut No. 9, on one- 
half inch units, 26" wide. 

When the centre of a word is to be placed directly under the centre 
of another word or the centre of a line of words under the center of 
another line, it is necessary to use centre lines, as in Cut No. 13. On 
the centre line compose the words, — always, of course, with their sur- 
roundings and use in mind, — as evenly spaced on both sides of the cen- 
tre line as possible by eye, and then, with the ruler or yard-stick, make 
the word or words exactly divide in halves on the centre line. The num- 
ber of units required for each side of the centre line can then be com- 
puted. 

Punctuation marks should be used very sparingly in lettering. About 
the only marks that it is advisable to use are the period and, occasion- 
ally, the colon, the dash, and the hyphen. (See Cut No. 24). 

Periods should not be crowded-in as if they were after-thoughts, but 
should form part of the design, as in Cut No. 19. 

The letters used for abbreviations, as A. M., P. M., N. Y., N. J., etc., 
are ordinarily placed too near together. 

After the student has had considerable practice in designing with the 
cut-out letters, he will become so thoroughly acquainted with them that 
he can, upon a sketch, plan words, or a line of words, or several lines, as 
in a title, and never go wrong in their spacing or the area they are to 
cover. The safest plan, however, when lettering words with which the 
student has had no practice, is first to study the words with the cut-out 
letters, for it will certainly save time in the end and lead to better re- 
sults. 

21 



I '' ^ :- M M M M . ' : J h' ' - - :i| ' ' I ! I 



No. 19. See page 21. 

At first thought, this method of studying the design of lettering may 
seem to be suited to the Kindergarten, as it is, but it is also an exercise 
in which the most experienced designer can apply all his knowledge and 
skill. 

VARIATIONS OF THE ALPHABET 

Monotony in lettering can be avoided by drawing the letters in some 
words larger than the letters in other words. In cover designs, posters, 
notices, and in almost every lettering problem, some word or words 
should be made prominent by being drawn larger than the others. This 
can be done by constructing the words that are to be larger upon larger 
units. In Cut No. 20, THE is constructed upon units three-sixteenths 
square ; POSTER upon units three-eighths square, and SHOW, upon 
units one-fourth square. 

The letters are not necessarily constructed upon square units. The 
units may be rectangles of any proportion (See Cut No. 21). 

The letters are not necessarily vertical. The unit lines governing the 
height of the letters may incline at any desired angle — preferably not 
over fifteen degrees. This was the angle used for FIFTH ANNUAL, 
Cut No. 22. If some unknown angle, less than fifteen, is used, a line can 
be drawn at the desired angle and the position of the paper on the board 
changed so that the inclined lines can be drawn as shown in Cut No. 23. 
If the lettering is being drawn upon a board, as in sign painting, or if 
it seems best not to move the paper, the swivel-head T-square can be used 
to draw the inclined lines. 

When drawing the alphabet in this way, it will be necessary to change 
slightly the letters made up of curves, or curves and straight lines, but 
this presents no great difiiculty. 

Cut No. 24 illustrates the use and the advantage of the use of letters 
of different sizes and proportions in the same problem. ANNUAL EX- 
HIBITION NOW OPEN 1:30-4:30 and 7:30-9:30 P. M. was to be 



22 



POSTER 

SHOW 

No. 20. See pages 22 and 24. 




No. 21. See page 22. 




No. 22. See page 22. 



ANNUAL 

EXHIBITION 

NOW OPEN 

130-4:30 AND 
7:30-930 P.M. 




No. 23. See pages 13 and 22. 



No. 24. See pages 21, 22 and 26. 




No. 25. See page 24. 










No. 26. See page 24. 



No. 27. See page 24. 



23 



lettered in an area, including the margin line, i/^ inches deep and 
25^ inches wide. Within this field, the areas to be devoted to the words 
were first designed (Cut No. 25). It is helpful for anyone, and neces- 
sary for the beginner, to make a cartoon of every lettering problem the 
same size as the problem. Manilla wrapping paper answers for the 
paper and soft charcoal should be used as it can easily be erased and 
the areas planned for words and spaces changed and re-arranged until 
the general massing seems satisfactory. In this case, the areas are filled 
in solid to make clear that the object of the cartoon is not to secure the 
arrangement of the letters but the design of the lettering. 

These areas were then drawn upon the paper to be used for the 
lettering (Strathmore Illustration Board in this instance) and divided as 
required for the letters. 

Xo center lines are needed in problems of this character. 

Seldom, except when drawing for cuts, where the drawings can be 
reduced to the desired sizes, is the designer able to draw lettering with- 
out regard to what surrounds it, and consequently this method of arriv- 
ing at the size and proportion of letters will be found to be helpful and a 
saving of time. 

Designers frequently have occasion to do lettering at large scale from 
small sketches. It is not always easy to secure the same disposition and 
proportion of the areas to contain the lettering in the large drawing as 
is found in the sketch. The large drawing, of course, is made of the 
same proportion as the sketch, and on the sketch diagonals may be drawn 
as shown in Cut Xo. 26. The same scheme of diagonals drawn upon 
the large drawing will be of great assistance in locating the areas for the 
lettering. If the sketch is divided by enough diagonals it often will be 
found that the large areas for the lettering can be located very accurately. 

Variety can be given the letters in this alphabet by drawing them 
w^ith an irregular outline, as X'o. 20. by outlining only, by cross-hatching, 
stippling or otherwise treating the surface, as X'^o. 27, or by painting 
them with water colors, or oil colors as in sign painting. 

The character of the letters may be changed by adopting other widths 
for the thin and the thick lines, and bv changing the shape of the serifs. 



n n n n n — — r 1 1 \1 — n n 

COFFEE 5AL 



No. 28. See page 25. 



YEARjBO O. K 

No. 29. See page 25. 



24 




No. 30. See page 26. 

LETTERING WITHOUT UNITS OF SPACE 

As soon as the construction and use of the letters upon units are 
mastered, a matter of weeks or months, depending upon the abihty of the 
student — and some students never can letter well without them — the 
units should be dispensed with, and the letters constructed, at first 
sketched freehand, and then ''trued-up" with the T-square, the triangles, 
and the bow-dividers, in rectangles equivalent to eight units high and 
3, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 12 units wide as required. Widths for letters and spaces 
between letters may be laid out upon any line by setting off, directly from 
the ruler, the required number of spaces, as nine eighths of an inch 
for A^ six eighths for B^ eight eighths for C^ etc. 

If the lettering is to be composed upon a centre line, the spaces can 
first be set off on the edge of a strip of paper, as in Cut No. 28. Measur- 
ing the total length of the word or words, half can be placed on either 
side of the center line. 

The spaces required for lettering may also be set off on either side of 
a center line, as follows : Suppose YEAR BOOK, Cut No. 6, is to be 
lettered upon a centre line as shown in Cut No. 29. From the sketch, 
the centre of the lettering is found. As there are, in this problem, sev- 
enty-five spaces required, thirty-seven and one-half must be on either 
side of the center line; that is, ignoring the half space, if desired, the 
centre of the space between the words must be on the centre line. From 
the ruler, beginning at the centre line, set off to right and left the re- 
quired spaces for the letters and the spaces between the letters. 

If the length of the base line is settled in advance and it is not known 
how wide the letters must be to fill the space, the widths can be found 



25 



as in Fig. 3, Cut No. 7. In this problem the word GEOMETRY is to 
be lettered upon the base line X-Y. Set off the widths for the letters 
and the spaces between the letters on line X-Z and draw parallels to 
Y-Z to the base line. This is applied in Cut No. 30. 

Students have a strange fear of drawing lines — as if they could not 
be erased. The professional designer never hesitates to draw a score 
of lines if they will help him to secure the one line he is after, Cut No. 
30- 

EVOLUTION OF ORIGINALITY IN 

LETTERING 

It should be understood that the alphabet to which this book is de- 
voted is not given as a model for all lettering. It is simply a working- 
alphabet, reduced to a system, and providing the student with a definite 
starting point. Its use will prepare him to copy and use other alphabets 
intelligently, and prepare him finally to evolve an alphabet of his own. 

After the alphabet herein described has been mastered, the student 
should study another, and, after that has been in a measure mastered, 
he should study others. Any one alphabet is not suited to all purposes. 
An alphabet suitable for a sign to keep off the grass might not be ap- 
propriate to announce a millinery display, and, therefore, the designer 
must be able to use many styles of lettering. Great care should be taken 
in the selection of the alphabets to be studied. Freak and quaint alpha- 
bets should be avoided. 

While standard alphabets are being studied, the designer will find 
that he is gradually developing a style of his own. The first steps 
towards originality will consist in changing the shapes of letters to make 
them compose better (note the E in EXHIBITION, Cut N'o. 24) and 
in changing the widths of letters to meet some requirement of spacing, 
but the student should not be in haste to originate an alphabet of his 
own. If he is, he never will do so. Originality in lettering comes only 
with long practice with, and experience in, the use of alphabets devel- 
oped by good designers. 

N'o one can evolve an art of his own that amounts to anything who is 
not well grounded in the basic principles of his art, and all that is given 
in the preceding pages must be known, even if it is not always put in 
practice, if the student is to use other Roman alphabets intelligently and 
finally to evolve an alphabet of his own that will be worthy of the re- 
spect of those who can distinguish good lettering from poor. 



26 



BOOKS RECOMMENDED 

All who do lettering and every school where lettering is taught should 
have a library well stocked with books on the subject. Many have been 
published, but the following have been found very helpful in a school 
which insists that its students letter well : 

"Letters and Lettering," by F. C. Brown, Bates and Guild Co., 
Boston. 

''Letters and Letter Construction," by F. J. Trezise, The Inland 
Printer Co., Chicago. 

"Lettering," by Thomas Wood Stevens, Prang Educational Co., 
Chicago. 

"Alphabets Old and New," and "Lettering in Ornament," by L. F. 
Day, B. T. Batsford, London, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 
American agents. 

"Manuscript and Inscription Letters" (a portfolio of plates), by Ed- 
ward Johnson, John Hogg, London. 

"Writing and Illuminating and Lettering," by Edward Johnson, The 
Macmillan Co., New York. 

"Alphabets," by E. F. Strange, George Bell & Sons, London. 

"Free-Hand Lettering," by V. T. Wilson, John Wiley & Sons, New 
York. 

"Modern Lettering," by W. Heyny, William T. Comstock, New 
York. 



27 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THIS 
METHOD OF LETTERING 

It is suggested that the study of lettering, as advocated in this book, 
be undertaken as follows : 

1. Memorize the letters and the numerals. Cuts i, 2, 3, 4, 5. See 
page II. 

2. Draw the word THE, on units ^ inch square, following the 
method illustrated in Cut No. 9. 

3. Draw YEAR BOOK, Cut No. 6, on units }i inch square. 

4. Cut apart the letters on the five plates accompanying this book, as 
shown in Cut No. 12, and practice the design, first of single words, and 
then of groups of words, as in Cuts 13, 14, 16. If letters overhang. Cut 
No. II, the cut-out letters may overlap. Make diagrams, as Cut No. 15, 
of any designs that might be of use later. The cut-out letters may be 
kept in an envelope. 

5. Select a problem, similar to the title of this book, and work it out 
as the title was worked out. Cuts 14, 15. 

6. In a rectangle, 8^ inches wide and 4% inches deep, design and 
draw FOR SALE, following the method illustrated in Cut No. 17. 

7. In a rectangle, 4^ inches wide and 2^ inches deep, design and 
draw LIVE WIRE, following the method illustrated in Cut No. 18. 

8. Draw Cut No. 20 upon units of the size stated on page 22. Draw 
first the middle word. 

9. In a rectangle, 8 inches wide and 2^ inches deep, draw the 
word NOTICE. Divide the base line into the required number of units 
by the method illustrated in Cut No. 7, Fig. i, or the method illustrated 
in Cut No. 8. Divide the distance between the base and the top lines 
into eight equal parts by the method illustrated in Cut No. 7, Fig. 2. 
The units will not be squares. See Cut No. 21. 

10. Select a problem similar to Cut No. 24. Divide the base lines 
into the required spaces for the letters, not into unit spaces, and draw 
the letters without units. See Cut No. 7, Fig. 3, Cut No. 30, and page 25. 



28 



LIBRARY OF 



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LiBRflRV OF CONGRESS 



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